Sadiq Khan: London must be ‘the first global city to end new HIV transmissions by 2030’

Mayor holds roundtable with 23 LGBTQ+ organisations from across London

The Labour Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today pledged to do everything in his power to ensure there are no new HIV infections in the city by 2030 if he is re-elected on 6 May.

The Mayor will today say that London is ‘within touching distance’ of the ‘incredible achievement’ of ending all new transmissions by 2030, as he commits to working ‘tirelessly’ to achieve this goal.

Sadiq Khan will be speaking at a virtual roundtable with 23 LGBTQ+ organisations about what steps he can take as Mayor to ensure London is the first global city to end new HIV transmission by 2030. The meeting will be chaired by Wes Streeting, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Schools.

​In his first term as Mayor, London met and exceeded the UN’s 90:90:90 target* and Sadiq signed London up to the UN Fast Track Cities initiative, which aims to end new HIV transmissions in the capital after 2030 by working with partners across the city, with an 80% reduction by 2025. 

The ambitious pledge will be included in Sadiq’s manifesto which will be published next month. The manifesto will also reaffirm the Mayor’s commitment to tackling hate crime against LGBTQ+ Londoners and protecting London’s LGBTQ+ spaces and venues at risk of closure due to the pandemic.

Since becoming Mayor in 2016 Sadiq Khan has done everything possible to prove himself to be a dedicated ally to LGTBQ+ Londoners. He reintroduced an annual Pride reception at City Hall, supported the use of Pride roundels across the TfL network and has flown the intersectional Pride, Bi pride and Trans pride flags outside the Mayor’s Office.

During the pandemic Sadiq has provided £225,000 in grant funding specifically for LGBTQ+ venues including the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, Dalston Superstore and West London’s West Five Bar through the Culture at Risk fund. He has pledged his support for an LGBTQ+ community centre in the capital as well as providing a £5.7m loan to Tonic Housing to support the establishment of Britain’s first LGBTQ+ retirement community.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said:

“I have always done everything in my power to support London’s amazing LGBTQ+ communities – and I promise that will continue if I’m re-elected on 6 May. 

“Too many Londoners tragically lost their lives to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 90s and although we’ve come a long way in our fight against HIV since then, there is still so much more we can and must be doing.

“Having exceeded the UN’s 90:90:90 target*, we are now within touching distance of the incredible achievement of making London the first global city to end new HIV transmissions by 2030. A brighter future lies ahead for London after this year and I firmly believe we can reach this milestone this decade.

“If re-elected on May 6, I will work tirelessly to help us reach that goal and I can promise London’s LGBTQ+ community that I will never stop standing up for their rights.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

*This means 90 per cent of people living with HIV knowing their status, 90 per cent of people with diagnosed HIV on treatment and 90 per cent of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads.